Verdict: the leak case is real and official — CBI arrests reached 13 by 27 May and a Delhi fast-track court found prima facie grounds against three NTA subject experts — but the mechanism described in the chargesheet remains an allegation awaiting trial, viral Telegram "paper-selling" channels were flagged as fakes, and one accused student has already been cleared by the CBI itself.
Built from official CBI and PIB releases, NTA notices and court reporting: an eight-source curated core, 39 official documents and 100 cross-check news items, scanned through 28 August 2026. No one named here has been convicted; all chargesheet claims are to be tested at trial.
The 3 May exam, the 12 May complaint, arrests of NTA-linked experts P. V. Kulkarni and Manisha Gurunath Mandhare, the 13-arrest total, the 21 June re-examination, the chargesheet against 13, the court's cognisance, and one student's clearance — all documented in PIB releases and court orders.
Who leaked what and how: insiders with legitimate access memorising questions, using chits, marking books, dictating questions in paid coaching, circulation via intermediaries, and a reported ₹4 lakh offer for the paper. These are chargesheet claims. Every accused is presumed innocent until a court decides.
Fake Telegram paper-selling groups flagged by NTA to the cyber crime cell, and fabricated, digitally altered or AI-generated OMR sheets and score cards warned against in a public notice. Real fraud attempts existed alongside the real leak — which is exactly why virality proved nothing.
| Date | Event | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 May | Original NEET-UG 2026 examination held | verified | aninews.in |
| 12 May | Department of Higher Education lodges written complaint on irregularities and leak allegations | verified | aninews.in |
| 14 May | CBI arrests two accused from Ahilyanagar and Pune | verified | pib.gov.in |
| 15 May | Chemistry lecturer P. V. Kulkarni arrested as alleged source; 7 arrests so far; documents, gadgets and phones seized | verified action | pib.gov.in |
| 16 May | Senior botany teacher Manisha Gurunath Mandhare arrested; 9 arrests; searches at 6 locations | verified action | pib.gov.in |
| 27 May | Latur doctor and Pune coaching faculty arrested; official total reaches 13 | verified | pib.gov.in |
| early Jun | NTA flags fake Telegram paper-selling groups to the cyber crime cell | fakes flagged | jagranjosh.com |
| 12 Jun | Cabinet Secretary reviews re-exam preparedness with DG, NTA; warns against any tampering | verified | pib.gov.in |
| 16 Jun | NTA press release on MeitY Telegram restriction | fakes flagged | nta.ac.in |
| 18 Jun | Education Minister chairs high-level review for the 21 June re-examination | verified | pib.gov.in |
| 21 Jun | Nationwide re-examination held under heightened security | verified | pib.gov.in |
| 20 Jul | NTA public notice on fabricated, digitally altered or AI-generated OMR sheets and score cards | fakes flagged | nta.ac.in |
| early Aug | CBI files chargesheet against 13 in Rouse Avenue Court; mechanism of chits, memorising and marked books described | alleged mechanism | ndtv.com |
| 10 Aug | Court rejects three accused's plea for polygraph, brain-mapping and lie-detector tests | verified | ndtv.com |
| 12–13 Aug | Fast-track court takes cognisance of 20,000-page chargesheet; prima facie criminal breach of trust by 3 experts; all 13 in judicial custody | verified | hindustantimes.com |
| 19 Aug | Supreme Court seeks Centre's affidavit on exam reforms and institutionalising NTA | verified | hindustantimes.com |
| 22 Aug | CBI finds no evidence against Chandrapur student; Bombay High Court orders NTA to release his result | verified | ndtv.com |
| 28 Aug | NTA declares the student's re-NEET result after the Bombay High Court order | verified | timesnownews.com |
Method: built from three source batches scanned through 28 August 2026 — an eight-source curated core of CBI/PIB releases plus reporting on the chargesheet, court cognisance, fake Telegram claims and the Bombay High Court result case; 39 official NTA and PIB notices, with alternate-language and URL-parameter duplicates of the same release collapsed; and 100 cross-check news rows, of which only directly relevant chargesheet and court items were used. Arrest totals are official PIB counts; the leak mechanism, the ₹4 lakh offer and all named-person roles are chargesheet allegations awaiting trial, not adjudicated facts; unrelated retrospective and opinion coverage was cut for space. All accused are presumed innocent.